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A consumers' cooperative is a business owned by its customers. Members vote on major decisions and elect the board of directors from among their own number. The first of these was set up in 1844 in the North-West of England by 28 weavers who wanted to sell food at a lower price than the local shops.
Wireless Nomad was a non-profit cooperative based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada providing subscriber-owned home and business internet along with free Wi-Fi wireless Internet access the 70+ nodes, making it one of the largest free Wi-Fi networks in the country at the time.
In the 21st century, cooperatives continue to play a crucial role in various sectors, including health care reform debates and the establishment of worker cooperatives, in partnership with international cooperatives like the Mondragon Corporation. The National Cooperative Business Association lists over 29,000 cooperative businesses.
If the number of votes is based on the size of the business, there is a risk of all smaller businesses within the cooperative being outvoted by a larger business. A democratic solution that many retailers' cooperatives employ is an increase in votes based on business size, up to a certain point, say 5 or 10 votes.
The major difference between consumers' cooperatives and other forms of business is that the purpose of a consumers' cooperative association is to provide quality goods and services at the lowest cost to the consumer/owners rather than to sell goods and services at the highest price above cost that the consumer is willing to pay.
[2] A "patronage dividend" is money paid by a cooperative to its patrons on the basis of business done with these patrons, pursuant to a pre-existing obligation, and based on the net earnings of the cooperative from the business done. [3] In practice, cooperatives typically charge their members for services and refund the profits proportionately.
Cooperative members often engage in multiple contracts and projects over time, fostering ongoing partnerships. This can lead to additional business opportunities, repeat contracts, and a more stable revenue stream for businesses. The cooperative environment encourages relationship-building and the cultivation of sustainable business connections.
Cooperatives as a form of business organization are distinct from the more common investor-owned firms (IOFs). [1] [5] Both are organized as corporations, but IOFs pursue profit maximization objectives, whereas cooperatives strive to maximize the benefits they generate for their members (which usually involves zero-profit operation).